Method of making well drill-jars.



Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

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METHOD OF MAKING WELL DRILL JARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 3. 1913. 1,209,346.

. I O ////4//////// l 1 WMII 7%7 1 7/17/7/6 WIN! TED srr WILLIAM A.SPARKS, or CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, AssIeNoR T0 SPARKS DRILL- me JARCOMPANY, or CHARLESTON, WEST IRGINIA, A CORPORATION 01? WEST VIRGINIA.

To (171 whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. SPARKS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county-ofKanawha and State of West Virginia, have inventedcer-.

tain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Well Drill-Jars;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In oil well drilling it has been found necessary in practice to make thedrilling jars a part of the string of tools, and as the tools are veryheavy owing to the severe work in drilling through strata; ofrock,thedrill jars are subjected to a great strain, and it is necessary that thejars be constructed of the best material for the purpose. It is wellknown among those skilled in the art, that the jars are the weakest partof the drilling outfit, and this is especially so when considering thestrain imposed upon them in 'drilling oil wells. In the practicaloperation of the drilling tools, the jars should be so constructed as topermit the untwisting of the drill rope in the event of the drill toolbinding in the rock, otherwise the jars might become broken from thecombination of a twisting or lateral strain and the vertical or pullingstrain thereon, due to the tendency of the rope to straighten out oruntwist under the strain imposed thereon. It is found desirabletherefore that the jars should be capable of rotative movement, as wellas reciprocating movement, and also that the jars shall withstand thestrain imposed thereon, and in the event of breakage of the parts of thejar or other parts of the tool string, that the' fishing of the brokenparts from the well shall be a comparatively easy task.

The rotary motion of drill jars is extremely desirable in preventing thefracture of the jars of the old type and alsoin protecting the men whoare operating the drill. When it becomes necessary, as is frequently thecase, to change the string of tools ina well, the jars are raised to thetop of the well; and the socket oint on the top of the jars loosened up,usually with the aid of wrenches, breaking the joint so that the socketcan be unscrewed by hand; The string of tools are then removed from theSpecification of Letters Patent.

hole and raised up into the derrick whereupon the attendant completesthe unscrewmg of the socket. To do this, involves. a back twist upon therope which is gotten by a wrench attached to the square top of thePatentedDec. 19, 1916.. Application filed October s, 1913. Serial No.793,202.

rope socket. Before the operation is completed the strain on the ropeand the wrench becomes severe and accidents are not infrequent due tothe attendant losing his grip on the wrench and being knocked from hisposition by the whirling around of the wrench. Similarly, when attachingthe socket to the top of link jars, it is frequently necessary to firstback twist the rope in order that in screwing the sockets on the jarsthere may not be a twisting of the rope as well as the resistance of thescrew joint to contend against. The jars of this invention, however,permit of rotary as well as reciprocating movement of the parts withreference to each other thereby obviating the necessity of giving anyrotary movement to the socket or twist to the rope either in fasteningon or fastening the socket, but the necessary rotary movement can begiven by turning the top member .of the jar with a wrench engaging thesquared portion thereof.

This invention is a method of making well drill jars, having for itsobject to produce a set of jars which may be permanently united; whichwill retain the initial strength of the metal from which they are made;which will befree from screw threaded parts. and the material of thejars not weakened by subjecting the parts thereof to welding heatingoperations.

lVell jars constructed in accordance with this invention will possessgreater strength than the ordinary link jars, are not liable to becomechoked with fragments of rock or other debris and rendered partially orwholly inoperative, as is frequently the case with the link ars, willgive a greater impact due to their form of construction, are not liableto become broken within a well when subjected to the usual operatingstrain, will outlast several sets of jars of the link type, or thosejars constructed with screw threaded parts, or those subjected towelding heating operations. Many attempts have been made to produce ajar having the desirable reciprocating and rotative movement, and whichare durable in their construction.

The method herein set forth produces a jar the parts of which arepermanently interlocked, and which are comparatively free frombattering, thereby obviating the sticking or binding of the parts. Thefreedom from welding heatingoperation insures the life of the materialand adds greatly to the efliciency of the jars, especially duringdrilling through rock by the tool.

The drill jars of this invention are produced from solid pieces ofmetal, such as high grade steel, one member of each set of jars beingformed with an integral shank and head, formin a piston, while the othermember is provh ed with a chamber which permits of the reciprocating androtary movements of the head or piston therein. The chamber is bored toproduce a seat intermediate the end thereof, and also a seat for thehead at one end. The chamber memher is then subjected to heat, and thepiston or head inserted in said chamber, and the open end of the chambermember is compressed around the shank, permanently locking the twomembers together, and at the same time forming a seat at each end of thechamber for the piston or head.

The method is partially illustrated in the accompanying drawing, inwhich,

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a bar of metal from which the jarmembers are formed. Fig. 2, illustrates the upper or piston jar memberafter it has been turned and otherwise constructed from the bar ofmetal. Fig. 3, illustrates the first step in constructing the socketmember. Fig. 4, shows the chamber produced in the socket member. Fig. 5,shows the lower seat for the head added to Fig. 4. Fig. 6, shows theaddition of the drain. duct to the chamber. Fig. 7, is an enlargeddetail view showing the cut for the upper seat. Fig. 8, shows oneposition of the piston member within the chamber when ready to unite theparts. Fig. 9, shows the upper end of the socket member compressedaround the shank of the piston member. Fig. 10, is an enlarged viewshowing the piston head provided with longitudinal grooves to permit ofthe passage of debris through the socket.

The invention embodies the construction of Well drill jars by which theparts thereof may be permanently interlocked, and which will afford amaximum jar with a minimum of Wear upon the parts thereof, andespecially the construction of the jars of the type described out ofhigh carbon steel or other extra durable and refractory metal so topreserve unimpaired the original strength, hardness and resistance tothe wear of the metal, which qualities are necessarily impaired byeither casting or Welding.

The material from which the jar members are constructed is preferablyhigh grade steel, although it is obvious that they may be constructed ofother suitable metal or alloys of metal.

A bar of metal of the proper grade and thickness, such as illustrated inFig. 1, is placed in a lathe, or other suitable tool, turned to producethe upper member 1 having the shoulder 2, a shank 3, and a head orpiston 4, all integral with the member. The free end of the head is nowpreferably rounded as shown at 5, while the portion of the head 4 whichjoins the shank 3 is formed with an abutting surface 6, which may be ofany suitable or preferred form, but preferably rounded. The head at maybe provided, also, with refuse grooves 9, if desired. The member isprovided also with theusual cutaway portion 7 and the upper collar 8,together with suitable means, as in 9, for uniting the member to thesocket to which is attached the rope suspendingthe string of tools.

Figs. 3 to 8 illustrate the construction of the socket member. In Fig. 3a bar of metal such as illustrated in Fig. lis placed in a suitabletool, such as a lathe, and the portion of the bar reduced in diameter asillustrated at 10 in Fig. 3, or this process of reduction may be accom1lished in whole or in part by forging under the hammer. The usualcoupling end 11 is also provided, as well as the reduced squared portion12. In Fig. 4, there is illustrated a section through the chambermember, wherein the bar of metal is bored, as at 13, to produce thechamber 14 therein. In Fig. 5the lower end of the chamber is rounded asat 15, to receive the rounded end 5, of the head 4, and to substantiallyfit the head. In Fig. 6, the metal is suitably bored to produce a duct,16, for the exit of the material which may accumulate in the chamberduring the operation of the jar in a well. It will be understood thatthis chamber 11 is bored with straight walls in Figs. 4, 5 and 6,leaving a greater thickness of metal at 17 than at 18 to form the wallsof the chamber. After the chamber 14 is bored as aforesaid an annularcut is made around the inside of the same to produce the shoulder 20 toform an upper seat for the head or piston. This may be produced by anysuitable means, such as a counter bore, by cutting back and feeding thetool by a taper attachment. This shoulder 20 corresponds to, and isadapted to form a seat for, the shoulder 6 of the head or piston whenthe two members are brought together. This shoulder 20 should form aperfect seat for the upper end of the head to produce the best resultsand prevent distortion of a part of the head during operation. Havingbored the lower member as indicated, it is heated to permit of its beingreadily molded or compressed. An ordinary red heat is found amplysufi'icient. The head 4 of the piston member is now inserted into thechamber 14 and moved to a position be low the shoulder seat, 20,whereupon the chamber member is placed in a suitable tool, such as ahammer die or press, and the upper end thereof, having the thickenedwalls 17, compressed toward the shank 3 of the piston member, to aposition substantially as shown in Fig. 9. The outer surface of thechamber member is now substantially of the same circumference throughoutits length. The parts are thence permitted to cool. Should the socketmember be increased in length during the compressing operation, the jarmembers are placed in a lathe, or other suitable tool, and the end 21 ofthe socket member cut away until the shoulder 2 will engage the end 21of the socket member simultaneously with the engagement of the end 5 ofthe head 4 with its seat 15. This construction permits of the doubleimpact of the parts of the jar at two points, thereby giving a greaterjar, or increased efliciency, with less strain or battering of theparts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of producing well drill jars comprising the formation of apiston member having an elongated shank and a head,

forming asocket member with an elongated chamber, inserting the head ofthe piston member into the socket chamber, and compressing the wall ofan end of the socket member around the elongated shank to connect thepiston and socket members and permit of reciprocating and rotatingmovements of the head within said chamber.

2. The method of producing a well drill jar from two pieces of metalcomprising the formation of a piston member having an elongated shankand a head, forming a socket member with. a chamber of greater lengththan said head, forming a seat for the head at one end of the chamber,cutting a groove in the wall of the socket the other end of the chamber,and compressing the wall of an end of the socket member around the shankof the piston member to connect the piston and socket members and toform a seat for the head at said groove.

3. The method of producing a well drill jar from two pieces of metalcomprising the formation of a piston member having an elongatedshank anda substantially cylindrical head, forming a socket member having aportion thicker near one end, forming a cylindrical chamber in thethicker end of the socket member'of greater length than said head tohave the wall of said chamber of varying thicknesses,cuttin a groove inthe wall of the chamber at a t ickened portion member near chamber,

ture, in presence of to reduce such portion at the groove tosubstantially the thickness of a thinner part of the wall of thechamber, compressing the thicker portion of the wall of the socketmember around the shank of the piston member to connect the piston andsocket members and to form a seat for the head at one end of the chamberby distorting the formatlOil of the grooved portion of the chamber wa l.

1. The method of producing a well drill jar from two pieces of metalcomprising the formation of a piston member having an elongated shankand a substantially cylindrical head thereon, rounding the free end ofthe head, forming a socket member within an open ended chamber thereinof greater length than said head, and with awall of varying thickness,forming a rounded seat at one end of said chamber for the rounded end ofthe head, inserting the piston head into the chamber of the socket at aoint intermediate the ends of the charm er, and compressing the chamberend of the socket member having the thickened wall, upon the shank ofthe piston member to house the head Within the chamber and serve as astop to the movement of the piston head in one direction.

0 5. The method of roducing a well drill ar from two pieces 0 metalcomprising the formation of a piston member having a shoulder, anelongated shank and a substantially cylindrical head thereon, roundingthe free end of the head, forming a socket member with an open endedchamber therein of greater length than said head and with a wall ofvarying thickness, forming a rounded seat at one end of said chamber forthe rounded end of the head, forming another seat intermediate the endsof said chamber and into a thickened part of the Wall of the socketmember, inserting the piston-head into the chamber of the socket memberand at a point between said seats, compressing the chamber end of thesocket member having the thickened wall upon the shank of the pistonmember to house the head within the and thereafter cutting away aportion of the chamber end of the socket member until the shoulder ofthe piston member engages the chamber end of the socket membersimultaneously with the en ment of the rounded end of the pistonead withthe rounded seat of the socket member.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signatwo witnesses. WILLIAM A. SPARKS.Witnesses:

O. P. FITZGERALD, L. G. SUMMERFIELD.

